White, James – Code Blue Emergency
Code Blue Emergency
by James White
Chapter 1
The ruler of the ship sat beside Cha Thrat at the recreation deck’s viewscreen
while the fuzzy blob of light that was the space hospital grew into a gigantic,
complex structure ablaze with every color and intensity of light that her eyes
could detect. She had strong feelings of awe, wonder, excitement, and great
embarrassment.
Ruler Chiang, she had learned, carried the rank of major in the Monitor Corps
Extraterrestrial Communications and Cultural Contact division. But the ruler
seriously confused her at times by behaving like a warrior. Now it was sitting
beside her because it felt some strange, Earth-human obligation to do so. It had
wanted to pay her the compliment of allowing her to watch the approach to the
hospital from its control deck, but as she was physiologically unable to enter
that small and already crowded compartment, it had felt obliged to desert its
post and sit with her here.
The compliment was a completely unnecessary piece of time-wasting nonsense,
considering wide disparity in the social and professional levels of the people
involved, but Chiang seemed to derive some pleasure from the foolishness and it
had, after all, been a patient of hers.
The muted conversation in Control was being relayed with the image on the
repeater screen and, while ChaThrat’s translator gave her the equivalent of
every word, the particular technical jargon that the ship’s warriors were using
made the total meaning of what they were saying unclear. But suddenly there was
a new, amplified voice whose words were simple and unambiguous, accompanied by a
picture of the disgustingly hairy being who was speaking them.
“Sector General Reception,” it said briskly. “Identify yourself, please.
Patient, visitor, or staff; degree of urgency; and physiological classification,
if known. If uncertain, please make full visual contact and we will classify.”
“Monitor Corps courier vessel Thromasaggar,” a voice from Control responded.
“Short-stay docking facilities to unload patient and staff member. Crew and
patient classification Earth-human DBDG. Patient is ambulatory, convalescent,
treatment nonurgent. Staff member is classification DCNF and is also a
warmblooded oxygen-breather with no special temperature, gravity, or pressure
requirements.”
“Wait,” the obnoxious creature said, and once again the image of the hospital
filled the screen. A definite improvement, she thought.
“What is that thing?” she asked the ruler. “It looks like a… a scroggila. You
know, one of our rodents.”
“I’ve seen pictures of them,” the ruler said, and made the unpleasant barking
sound that denoted amusement with these people. “It is a Nidian DBDG, about half
the body mass of an Earth-human with a very similar metabolism. Its species is
highly advanced technologically and culturally, so it only looks like an outsize
rodent. You’ll learn to work with much less beautiful beings in that place—”
It broke off as the image of the Nidian returned.
“Follow the blue-yellow-blue direction beacons,” the receptionist said. “Debark
patient and staff member at Lock One Zero Four, then proceed to Dock Eighteen
via the blue-blue-white beacons. Major Chiang and the Som-maradvan healer are
expected and will be met.”
By what? she wondered.
The ruler had given her a great deal of helpful advice and information about
Sector Twelve General Hospital, most of which she did not believe. And when they
entered the lock antechamber a short time later, she could not believe that the
smooth, waist-high hemisphere of green jelly occupying the deck between the two
waiting Earth-humans was a person.
Ruler Chiang said, “This is Lieutenant Braithwaite of the Chief Psychologist’s
Office, and Maintenance Officer Timmins, who is responsible for preparing your
accommodation, and Doctor Danalta, who is attached to the ambulance ship,
Rhabwar…”
Except for minor differences in the insignia on their uniforms, she could not
tell the two Earth-humans apart. The large blob of green stuff on the floor, she
guessed, was some kind of practical joke, or perhaps part of an initiation
ritual for newcomers to the hospital. For the time being she decided not to
react.
“… And this is Cha Thrat,” it went on, “the new healer from Sommaradva, who is
joining the staff.”
Both Earth-humans moved their right hands up to waist level, then lowered them